(CNN)Northeast beachgoers are no strangers to shark sightings. Now they can share news of those sightings in real time with friends -- and scientists.

A new mobile app called Sharktivity allows users to track where sharks have been seen along the coast. They can also submit their own sightings.

There is science behind the app, too. Sharktivity is being launched by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that works to protect white sharks, also known as great whites. And it was developed in part by marine biologist Gregory Skomal, who has worked at the state's Division of Marine Fisheries for 29 years.

Skomal and his team plan to vet each sighting that is submitted.

The app includes the locations of some of the 80 sharks that researchers have already tagged. So far, it's available only for iPhone users.

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

You've survived the cultural phenomena that were the first and second "Sharknado" movies without a bite. Ian Ziering and Tara Reid returned with the Syfy channel's "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" on Wednesday, July 22. Click through to see more of our favorite sharks in pop culture.

Hide Caption

1 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark thriller "Jaws" gave birth to the summer blockbuster and a cultural love-hate relationship with swimming in the ocean. The filmmaker's classic also proved that these beasts were ready for their close-ups.

Hide Caption

2 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

These dancing sharks (especially the left one) became an Internet meme after dancing with Katy Perry during the Super Bowl halftime show in February.

Hide Caption

3 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Maybe we can blame our current obsession with sharks on the generation who grew up watching "Jabberjaw," ABC's animated series that ran from 1976 to 1978. The kids' show was reportedly inspired by "Jaws," but this version was far more cuddly; Jabberjaw held regular jam sessions with his human pals.

Hide Caption

4 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Ever wondered where the phrase "jumped the shark" came from? You can thank the "Happy Days" writers for that one. In 1977, the beloved show took a plot turn it couldn't recover from when Henry Winkler's Fonzie literally "jumped a shark" while water skiing.

Hide Caption

5 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Decades before Syfy became the home of shark-related comedy, "Saturday Night Live" introduced "the cleverest species of them all" in its "Land Shark" sketch. It featured Chevy Chase as the trickster shark who preyed on unsuspecting humans with the lure of telegrams and flowers.

Hide Caption

6 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Disney's 1989 under-the-sea adventure "The Little Mermaid" began with a tense run-in with a shark. Unlike the chilling but affable characters Disney has produced lately, this shark was straight out of "Jaws" with its brutish strength and snapping teeth.

Hide Caption

7 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

In 1997's "Austin Powers International Man of Mystery," all Dr. Evil wanted from his nefarious cohorts were "sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads." It was an impossible request at the time -- he had to settle for ill-tempered sea bass -- but in 2012, one marine biologist figured it out.

Hide Caption

8 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Out of all the sharks in "Deep Blue Sea" -- like this guy seen terrorizing LL Cool J -- there's one that particularly stands out. In the 1999 film, Samuel L. Jackson was in the middle of giving a stirring speech when a toothy killer popped up from behind him and practically devoured him whole.

Hide Caption

9 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Disney/Pixar brought Steven Spielberg's Bruce to life again in 2003's "Finding Nemo." This Bruce was just as terrifying -- especially to a clownfish dad hunting for his son -- but at least he tried to live by the rule that "fish are friends, not food."

Hide Caption

10 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

In 2004, the shark wave rolled on with DreamWorks' "Shark Tale," featuring the voices of Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger and Jack Black as Lenny the shark. With Hans Zimmer composing, the soundtrack had just as much bite.

Hide Caption

11 of 12

Photos:Best sharks in pop culture

Syfy created a pop culture monster with 2010's "Sharktopus," which featured a genetically engineered creature that was half-shark, half-octopus. It was clearly the next step to take after 2009's "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus" battle, which featured an endlessly watchable scene of a plane being attacked by a ridiculously huge shark.

Hide Caption

12 of 12

Read More

"Most people have phones with them at the beach, and the reasoning is getting information to them as soon as possible," said Conservancy President Cynthia Wigren. She said the app could be useful for not just beachgoers, but also boaters, fishermen and even pilots along the East Coast.

Until now, lifeguards and emergency responders could notify others of a shark sighting or incident only after the fact, according to Leslie Reynolds, chief ranger for the Cape Cod National Seashore.

With the app, Reynolds said, the public can "report shark sightings in real time and receive alerts in real time."

The app also includes shark safety tips and a button to let users donate money to shark research.

The Division of Marine Fisheries holds a database of great white shark sightings that dates back to the 1800s, Skomal said. Information from the app can help them expand their records, he said.

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Big white NEW – Philippe Cousteau is an environmental advocate who heads the non-profit organization EarthEcho International. At the beginning of September he led a cage diving expedition near Guadalupe island, off the coast of Mexico, to educate people about great white sharks.

Hide Caption

1 of 7

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Swimming with sharks – Phillippe Cousteau: "Most people think the only good shark is a dead shark -- actually for healthy oceans sharks are really important."

Hide Caption

2 of 7

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Swimming with sharks – Phillippe Cousteau: "People don't understand that sharks have the same purpose in the ocean as top predators on land, like lions and wolves. They basically keep the whole food chain healthy -- once you remove them the food chain beneath them tends to collapse."

Hide Caption

3 of 7

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Swimming with sharks – Phillippe Cousteau: "On TV you mostly just see jaws and claws -- you see them biting things and attacking things at the surface. What you don't see is that most of the time they are very majestic graceful, beautiful creatures."

Hide Caption

4 of 7

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Swimming with sharks – Phillippe Cousteau: "Being in the water with great whites is one of those bucket list experiences in life. For me, great white sharks are the ultimate symbol of the power of the ocean and how we should respect it and treasure it."

Hide Caption

5 of 7

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Swimming with sharks – Phillippe Cousteau: "Don't beleive in the media hype. The only time we really hear about sharks is whene there;s an attack. People can think passed the knee-jerk reaction of being afraid, and just be willing to understand and appreciate these animals for what they are."

Hide Caption

6 of 7

Photos:Philippe Cousteau's close encounter with great white sharks

Swimming with skarks – Phillippe Cousteau: "A great white can bring in about $20,000 for poachers for its fins and jaw -- so they're hunted. The population of sharks in general is plummeting around the world. Sevently million sharks are killed each year, mostly for shark-fin soup."

Hide Caption

7 of 7

There has been a significant growth in the Cape Cod great white shark population in recent years, up from 68 in 2014 to 141 in 2015.

At the same time, Reynolds says lifeguards have been reporting an increase in visitors, recording more than 1 million annual beachgoers during the 10- to 12-week summer period in the past three years.

"People are interested and want to see them, asking lifeguards about the sharks," Reynolds said.

According to the Global Shark Attack File, there were 59 shark attacks in the United States in 2015, with one fatality in Hawaii.

Wigren said the app should not draw people into harm's way.

"We clearly cannot control what the public does, but hopefully with this information, people will be more aware and cautious," she said.